When it Breaks
by Lady of Elysion
Summary: Atobe is reaching breaking point and only Jirou seems to notice. Atobe-centric with Adorable Pair. Please read and review!


**I had to write something; I'm still semi-depressed that _The Regulars _is finished.**

**At any rate, please enjoy, even if it is somewhat angsty/darkish-but-not-really…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis and never will.**

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><p><strong>When it Breaks<strong>

Atobe Keigo was the rock that held Hyoutei Gakuen together. He was the support behind the Regulars, the tennis club and the school itself. Everyone knew it as common knowledge (who else would run things, if not the Ice King of Hyoutei?), but no-one recognised what it meant.

And Atobe was more then happy for it to stay that way.

Not even the Regulars themselves really understood what it meant for Atobe to 'take control'. Oh, they all had their ideas certainly, but even they didn't think on it too much; not while they were confronted with Atobe's overwhelming personality.

They didn't know that Atobe had convinced Kantoku to act as both tennis coach _and _music teacher as soon as he saw Ootori Choutarou's music records and went to hear him perform in his first year at Hyoutei, so that the timetables wouldn't clash. Nor that he had purposely forced Hiyoshi into a match against Kabaji to bring out his Enbu tennis style to ready the boy for his eventual captaincy – Atobe would _not _see someone who couldn't even play properly succeed him. At least, that's what he told Oshitari when asked; in honesty, Atobe couldn't stand seeing Hiyoshi hide himself when he had the ability, the _freedom_, not to.

They didn't know that Atobe had been present for Shishido's breakdown after his humiliation of being cut from the regulars finally hit him, or that he had let the older boy take it out on him afterwards. Shishido had been ridiculously embarrassed by his actions and had attempted to fix them, but the cold way Atobe had shrugged him off afterwards had made him fight back for his position. When it was Atobe who got him that position back, any remaining awkwardness disappeared as he was banned from any singles position and was offered to try doubles by Choutarou – Atobe had smirked to himself as the boys left.

He was also the reason that Mukahi was still on the team and playing doubles with Oshitari, though it was obvious that Kantoku wanted Oshitari in singles. Atobe had made the sound argument that the two boys needed to see for themselves that they weren't suited to doubles or they would never play to their best. This was the reason that the two boys had both readily come to him, without the mood swings that Mukahi was famous for, ready to drop their combination, but with one condition; Mukahi was still guarantied a spot on the Regulars. They didn't know that he had had Hiyoshi on stand by for weeks by that point, out right telling him that he wouldn't be overtaking _anyone _since half the team played doubles.

Thankfully, none of them knew what he had to do to make those changes happen.

Kantoku had told him from the start that if he was expected to play the part of coach and music teacher, Atobe would have to take on half the work load on top of his duties as buchou. When Atobe pulled that 'stunt' for Shishido, he was doing more work then Kantoku and by the time the teacher had begun considering terminating the Oshitari-Mukahi pair, Atobe had taken over both the work of buchou _and_ coach. On top of this, Atobe was still running the school counsel, if it could be called 'running'. The other members were too afraid of upsetting the Ice King and left the work to him, showing up to meetings out of sheer formality; Atobe maintaining his perfect grades and tennis skills all the while.

Then there was his home life.

Hidden behind the rich luxuries he lived in, Atobe's home life was, quite literally, all business. His father treated him as an employee rather then a son, and had put him to work the moment he had come back from England. By his third year, Atobe was writing contracts and managing his own area of Atobe Corporations, as well as buying smaller companies under his father's strict control. His mother had long since left him alone, calling him a waste of space and money. But both relied on him to live up to their name and to take over the corporation when they choose.

Atobe Keigo was the rock that supported _everything_.

But what happens when that rock crumbles from the pressure?

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><p>Akutagawa Jirou lay on the bleachers, waiting for Kabaji to 'wake' him up. He had considered laying down elsewhere, but he had a reputation of being hard to wake and knew it wouldn't be suspicious if Kabaji took a while to get him up. When he felt the large shadow fall over him, Jirou waited for the inevitable shake.<p>

A minute past and still Kabaji did nothing.

Then it clicked.

"It's soon."

His eyes were still closed, mouth barely moving.

"Usu."

"Tonight?"

"…"

At the pause, Jirou shot up and fell off the bleachers with a thud.

"After _practice?_"

Jirou sat there, staring up at Kabaji with shock written all over his face, not caring that there were at least seventy sets of eyes turned to him after his yell.

Worried brown eyes stared down at him.

"… usu."

His mind went blank.

Jirou had known that Atobe was reaching his limit, had seen the signs and known what they meant: Atobe Keigo was breaking.

Jirou didn't even think as he ran over to Atobe and grabbed the younger boys Regulars jacket off his shoulders—

No-one remembered that Atobe was the second youngest third year on the Regulars.

—and ran off the courts and into the school grounds with it, a red faced Atobe snarling behind him—

Hell, no-one seemed to remember that he had yet turn fourteen, his birthday being as late in the year as it was.

—turning a corner, Jirou only stopped when he had reached an unlocked classroom as far away from the tennis courts as he would chance with a seething Atobe following on his heels.

He did not expect to be slammed against the wall by the taller boy, nor the angry mess of words that followed. Jirou just leant against the wall holding Atobe's jacket loosely in his hand, trying to block out the words being screamed into his ears. When the yelling stopped, Jirou carefully looked up and tried smiling at the now silent captain.

"Ato—"

_SLAP._

Jirou's head snapped to the side when Atobe's opened palm connected with his cheek, gasping from both the shock and the pain.

Silence rang out through the room.

When Jirou dared look up again, Atobe was backing away to the other side of the room staring at his hand in wide-eyed disbelief, shaking slightly. If the situation wasn't what it was, Jirou might've laughed at the look Atobe was making.

"Jirou, Ore-sa… I…"

Atobe moved to take a step forward but stopped himself.

He was still staring at his hand.

Straightening himself, Jirou carefully and slowly moved towards Atobe. He didn't come to a stop until he was only inches away from the other boy and, when he saw no signs of protest, he silently slipped his arms around him, surprisingly gentle, but firm.

It was the hug that did it.

Something in Atobe snapped, and he brought his arms around the smaller boy, clutching at the fabric of his jacket as the first tears started to fall. It seemed like hours had past when Jirou had carefully lowered the pair of them to the floor, Atobe with his back to the wall and Jirou carefully situated in the younger boys lap as Atobe continued to cry into the crook of his neck. The tears were silent, and Jirou didn't doubt that the noises had been trained out of the young heir as he alternated been stroking his hair and his back.

Atobe Keigo had broken.

Days might have gone by before Atobe's tears slowed to a stop and his breathing evened out from the soundless gasps he had made. Nearly fourteen years worth of pent up emotions and stress had reached well past their breaking point and had finally toppled over. Atobe slumped forward and kept his face hidden in the space where Jirou's neck and shoulder's met, sighing softly as Jirou's hand massaged the back of his neck.

When Jirou's hand moved lower, Atobe had moved back enough to meet soft copper eyes with reddened blue ones.

As Jirou's head moved closer, Atobe met him half-way.

The kiss was soft, unrushed and chaste. Atobe savoured every second of it, smiling weakly as he felt Jirou turn his face slightly to the side.

He almost gasped as he felt the tip of a warm tongue licking away the lingering wet patches on his cheeks, feeling a sharp pang of guilt as he saw the bright red against the smooth skin of Jirou's cheek. _He_ had done that to Jirou…

Pulling away, Atobe open his mouth to ask _why_ Jirou was still there with him after what he had done, but stopped when he saw the look on the older boys face.

"Keigo…"

Just the way Jirou said his name was enough to tell him everything he needed to know—

When the rock crumbles, the ocean silently pulls it back together, no matter how far the pieces are scattered.

—and the lingering kiss that followed said the rest.

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><p><strong>This was very… <em>different<em> to what I normally write, but hopefully I still did them all justice. **

**I don't want to hear about how ridiculous everything that Atobe went through was. There's a lot of speculation about how Atobe's treated and this is nothing compared to some. I also see Kantoku as something of a business man and if his cut throat methods are anything to go by, I can't imagine he would let Atobe do how he pleases without a price.**

**At any rate, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Side note: I'll have my thank you oneshots coming up soon, so look forward to them! **

**Please read and review~!**


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